Putin Orders Urgent Drill To Test Combat Readiness In Western Russia

Russian President Vladimir
Putin attends a wreath laying ceremony to mark the Defender of
the Fatherland Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the
Kremlin walls in central Moscow February 23, 2014.REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin ordered an urgent
drill to test the combat readiness of the armed forces across
western Russia on Wednesday, news agencies reported, flexing
Moscow's military muscle amid tension with the West over Ukraine.

"In accordance with an order from the president of the Russian
Federation, forces of the Western Military District were put on
alert at 1400 (0500 ET) today," Interfax quoted Defence Minister
Sergei Shoigu as saying.

Putin has ordered several such surprise drills in various parts
of Russia since he returned to the presidency in 2012, saying the
military must be kept on its toes, but the geopolitical overtones
could hardly have been clearer this time.

The western district borders Ukraine, which lies between NATO
nations and Russia. Shoigu said the drill would be conducted in
two stages, ending on March 3, and also involved some forces in
central Russia.

Putin has made no public comment on Ukraine since President
Viktor Yanukovich was driven from power over the weekend after
months of political turmoil sparked by his decision to spurn
deals with the European Union and improve ties with Russia.

The United States and European nations have warned Russia against
military intervention in Ukraine, a former Soviet republic that
Putin has called a "brother nation" and wants to be part of a
Eurasian Union he is building in the region.

Russian officials have said Moscow will not interfere in Ukraine,
while accusing the West of doing so, and Interfax cited the
speaker of the upper parliament house, Valentina Matviyenko, as
saying on Wednesday it would not use force.

But Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that Russia's
interests and its citizens in Ukraine were under threat, language
reminiscent of statements justifying Russia's invasion of Georgia
in 2008, when he was president.